Concrete and Formal Thinking Abilities in High School Biology Students as Measured by Three Separate Instruments. AESOP (Advancement of Education in Science-Oriented Programs) Paper.

The purpose of this investigation was to classify a sample of high school biology students into concrete and formal operational levels using three separate instruments: (1) a battery of Piagetian tasks (the pendulum, bending rods, and the balance beam); (2) a written biology examination consisting of questions requiring concrete and formal operations; and (3) a subject-free examination also consisting of questions requiring concrete and formal reasoning. Using the obtained data, the authors' purpose was to determine if the logical operations under question were closely tied to specific content. Sixty-eight high school students (32 males and 36 females) enrolled in a biology course at Delphi High School in Delphi, Indiana served as subjects. The subjects did not perform more formally on the subject matter free Longeot examination and on the biology examination than on the Piagetian tasks. It was concluded that Piagetian tasks are relatively content free and can serve as realistic indicators of concrete and formal thinking abilities. (Author/DS)